Ten years and $225,000 later: The Gill Foundation

On March 25, the PS3 Ronald A. Gill Jr. Memorial Scholarship Foundation will hit a new milestone. Ten years ago on March 25, 2007, the family and friends of Cranston's Ronnie Gill found out that he had been killed during a Coast Guard training mission near Vashon Island in Seattle, Washington. The Gill family, with the support of family and friends, turned their tragedy into something positive that would help students attending college.

"When Ronnie died, we were trying to think of what we could do to honor him," Ron Gill Sr., said.

It was a discussion that Ron Gill Sr., had during a night out with friends at Fitzpatrick's Pub that led to the idea of doing a golf tournament in Ronnie's honor in 2007.

"I had no idea how much work it would be, and it was so much work. I registered every golfer, went out and got every donation of gift certificates for the raffles, every tee sponsorship," Gill said. "It was a lot of work, but it helped me to get through the time after Ronnie died. We thought we'd be lucky that year to maybe give out a couple of thousand dollars after the first golf tournament." The event raised $17,000.

"We gave $10,000 to Johnson and Wales University and $5,000 to Cranston High School West," Gill said, noting that his son had attended those schools. "That was just the beginning of it."

The following year the Foundation was able to give JWU $15,000.

"They put a plaque on the grounds at the base of one of the trees to honor Ronnie," said Gill. "That is one of only three monuments on their campus. There is also a monument on the Cranston West campus on Metropolitan Avenue."

In total there are 14 monuments nationwide dedicated to PS3 Ronald A. Gill Jr., including several around Cranston where Ronnie grew up and attended school as a child, and a large memorial in Alaska where he was stationed and met his wife Ambur, and the mother of his daughter, Gracie, whom he would never get to meet, as she was born three months after his death.

"It was Ambur's dad, Kevin Shreve, who came up with the idea of setting up the foundation and making it a 501c3 once we had made that first $17,000 at the golf tournament that first year. We made almost $35,000 the second year and the third year we had the single biggest year as far as the amount of money we have given out."

Now the golf tournament is approaching its 11th anniversary, and will be held on July 22, 2017.

"We are hoping to hit $250,000 this year with our upcoming events," said Gill. "We already hit $225,000 and have given out scholarships to 167 students in nine years. Ronnie's friends, Abel Flores, Rob Cook, Christian Parker and Josh Yarger come to the tournament to be a part of it. It's been ten years and they always come."

It was Mike Dalmazzi, friend of the family and head of the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association which came up with the idea of starting an annual motorcycle run, "Ronnie's Ride," which was a big success in 2009 and has run the last Sunday in April ever since. It is coming up again on April 23, 2017.

"It has become a large event, and a sought after event," Gill said. "Our riders, like our golfers from the golf tournament, like to keep their event shirts year after year. They line them up to show all their years of participation. The motorcycle run always has a full police escort every year headed up by the Cranston Police Department and there are always multiple departments involved. We also get a great deal of support from Herb Chambers Honda of Seekonk. Shaws at Chapel View and from the Nardolillo Family, who all have been huge supporters of ours ever since our first year." In addition to the support the Foundation receives from the Cranston police department and from many local businesses, the Gill family and the Foundation are grateful to Mayor Allan Fung for his dedication and support to the cause as well.

"I don't think Allan Fung has missed an event yet," said Gill. "He is there for just about everything and he really supports the Foundation. He'll be speaking at the 10-year memorial service on March 25 at the Coast Guard station at Pt. Judith which will take place at 8 in the morning."

Other upcoming events in addition to the annual motorcycle run and golf tournament will include a citywide dress-down day on March 24, and a bowl-a-thon coming up in September.

"Our December macaroni dinner just hit its 10th year this past December too," Gill said. "Three years ago they also named our street after Ronnie."

As each of the Foundation's events start to reach the 10-year milestone, the Gill family is cognizant of the fact that Ronnie's daughter is also reaching the same milestone.

"Gracie will be turning 10 and Ronnie's niece, A'driana, will be 9," Gill said. "As Gracie grows, she asks more and more questions about her dad and is more and more interested in the memorabilia items we have here. There is a cedar hope chest that we have that has everything ever written about Ronnie, every card, medal and coin, including those from the President and the Commandants. She has started looking through it, taking things out a little at a time. It's very overwhelming because it's packed."

It's been 10 years, and Gill is amazed at how far the Foundation they have created in his son's honor has come.

"On the website, we list all of the students who have received scholarships over the years. There's 167 student names on there and sometimes I just scroll and scroll and look at all the names of the students we have been able to help. So many of them have been involved in the Foundation, some of them have received more than one scholarship. Every May we still give out scholarships at West, which is our primary recipient, where we are the most involved. The money was made so we could give it to kids, and we have given out scholarships all over, even to students in California, Arizona and New York. This year will be the first year we will be giving them out to the Coast Guard."

Gill hopes that when he is no longer able to continue the hard work of running the Foundation, that someone else will be ready to step up to the job he's done so passionately over the years.

"We could never have done this without the help and support of the public. People don't realize how fast a $5, $10 or $20 bill can add up. I'd like to think it won't end. I'd like to think that someone will take it on when I can't continue. I would love to have someone to hand it off to, someone to continue what we have done," Gill said. "Ten years ago, if you had asked me, I never would have thought these kinds of numbers would be rolling off my tongue, but the more we receive, the more we can give."

For more information about the upcoming events for the Gill Foundation, visit their website, www.rongilljr.org.